The Other End of the Floor

Yesterday, we learned that a whopping 84 percent of the voters believe the Sixers will improve on defense this season. After the jump, we'll talk a bit about offense and then take another vote.

OK, so there are some major differences to take into account. On the positive side, we finally have a shooter in Jason Kapono who can actually hit a three. Elton Brand is coming back. A year of development for Thad, Iguodala, Lou and Speights. The absence of Reggie Evans. And the institution of the Princeton offense by Eddie Jordan.

On the negative side, we lost Andre Miller, who was an offensive force last season. Taking his place at the point will be Lou Williams, who can fill it up and get to the line, but I have to believe there's going to be a drop off, the question is how much?

Miller averaged 1.28 points per shot last season, Williams 1.23. Miller's assist-to-turnover ratio was much better. Lou got to the line more frequently. The number that really concerns me, however, is the usage percentage (essentially, what percentage of total possessions does a player use, either by taking a shot, turning the ball over, or going to the line). Miller's usage percentage was 21.8% last year, which is a bit high for a PG in my opinion, but pales in comparison to Lou's. Williams used 27.7% of the team's possessions when he was on the floor. Granted, Lou's designated role was "scorer off the bench" but he played a ton of minutes with the starters and that number is just off-the-charts too high. If it remains that high, I think something has gone wrong with the offense.

Last season, the Sixers scored 107.9 points per 100 possessions (offensive rating of 107.9), good for 19th in the league. Will they be better this season? Vote in the poll below and leave your thoughts in the comments.